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Welcome back, y'all!
I'm really, really excited about today's post. I've been really into drawing my characters lately (yay art class!) and it's actually helped me develop them more. I figured, hey, why not... I'll do a 'introduce a lot of my charries and share the artwork at the same time' post.
So, be prepared to meet some new friends and read some... snippies!
YAY FOR SNIPPIES!
Hmmmm.. who should I start with? *taps chin thoughtfully* How about whoever this quirky computer bounces the photo up first? (this has been a very annoying photo scheme. XD) You'll be meeting an assortment of characters from three different stories - two that I'm coauthoring, and my super secret special Camp NaNoWriMo project!
all of the below (and above, actually) photos are taken and drawn by me. :)
perfect timing. my liddle pwincess! Sorry. She looks so much older than she is.. and there's something wrong with her cheek...
Seven-year-old Rebekah Vedier dreams of being a fairy tale princess. Her imagination drifts off to far off lands constantly, and is only fueled by Karah's storytelling and a few meager books that her peasant family can afford though she would eagerly devour any book if she got her hands on it. And if anyone wants to talk to this little introvert, they have to come into her imaginary world. Even when her family suffers in poverty, she always has her world to which she can return. Still, she always stays hopeful, with a childlike faith. Being one of the only ones in her family who reads the Bible still - everyone else is too busy surviving - she grows deeper and deeper in her Christian faith, memorizing verses from the pieced-together Bible and trusting daily in her Savior. But even the most childlike faith is tested. Thrown into a whirlwind of traitors, kidnappers, murderers, and lawbreakers, she really does have to trust. But for how much longer?
“Happy Birthday, Rebekah!” Daisy and I chorused. Rebekah started smiling and she stood there, taking it all in. Sarah handed me a large bouquet, and I quickly placed them in a cup of water. Before I did so, however, I took a few and wove them into a flower crown for Rebekah. Setting the crown gently on her head, I took her hand and led her to her seat, which I had decorated with scraps of cloth and ribbon. She couldn’t stop smiling as she looked over the spread of food...
Rebekah sat on the hearth to open her presents. There were three - one from Daisy, one from me, and one from Josiah. Rebekah was still beaming, her bright brown eyes glimmering....
She reached for mine, and untied the string, letting the paper fall away. A gasp was heard and she lifted the dress from the packaging as if she didn’t believe it was real.
“Oh, Karah, Karah! It’s…. It’s.. gorgeous!” she held it up to herself. She laid her cheek on the soft material and stroked it. “Can I wear it now?” I smiled.
“If you’d like,” I began, and she nearly sprinted to the loft. “But wait, you have one more!” Rebekah immediately sat down when she saw the gift from Daisy. She couldn’t stop smiling when she saw the shape of the package. Rebekah very elegantly unwrapped the paper and as soon as she saw what was inside, she leaned down and kissed the cover, nearly crying from how excited she was. Books were so expensive, and Daisy knew that there was nothing better that Rebekah would like.
- The Traitor in the Pages, page 107, written in Karah's POV
Twelve-year-old Karah Elise Vedier barely remembers the days before the droughts in Alavereth - the days when there was always food on the table and clothing on the children... the days when God could be trusted, according to Karah. The days when she wasn't constantly teased and harassed because of her poverty. The days when she had friends - or, people she thought were her friends. Insecure, self-conscious, and quiet, Karah has to keep the family going when her Muma falls ill. Maturing much more quickly than other girls her age, Karah sets out to work at the Duke's manor to provide food for her siblings - she would do anything for them. Anything to keep them from suffering the mocking that she had to endure. Anything to provide them with a safe refuge from it. And safe and secure is really all Karah wants to do. Stay in control of the bills, the medicine, the household - make sure everything goes right. And she does a pretty good job of it.. until she meets Daisy. What a wonderfully fun, saucy, sarcastic little Duke's daughter. The two get launched into a rather twisted story of treason, and Karah has to go along with it - to quench her nagging conscience and the sense of justice instilled within her.. and the safety of her threatened family.
The straw beds felt like home, and as I laid on the stiff pillow, I looked into the sleeping faces of Rebekah and Sarah. They deserved a carefree childhood. I would not allow them to go what I had gone through in school and society. I tossed and turned, thoughts churning in my head. Finally, I stood and walked over to the small window that shed some moonlight in silvery beams across the floor. I sat cross-legged beneath the light and looked up through it. A story seemed to weave itself together. Oh, how I missed telling my siblings the fairy tales and reading to them and crafting stories.
“Do you love your sister?” he asked, a question that seemed pointless to me.
“I love her dearly.” These questions went on, and he barraged me with vague inquiries. I didn’t understand his method. He pressed on, asking the most pointless questions. And then suddenly, he turned to the court.
“She is a worthless witness, a mere servant girl who is under the payment of the initiators of this case! How can she, or any minor be trusted to be unswayed by whatever they have gone through? She is a petty, penniless peasant who has gone through too much to call her reliable.”
“I object!” I stood and slammed my good hand on the table uncharacteristically.
- The Traitor in the Pages, written in Karah's POV
Poverty has forced ten-year-old Josiah Vedier to grow up a lot faster as well - when Karah goes to try to provide money to pay for food, Josiah has to step in and watch over his three younger siblings (Rebekah, Sarah, and Jakob). Quite a change from the slightly mischievous, wood-carving, carefree boy that rambunctiously wandered in the fields and played in the creek only a year before. But people change. And sometimes, they can never return to who they were before.
A hand on my shoulder startled me. I looked up and saw Josiah’s face – but it wasn’t as I remembered. It was older, more mature, more experienced. He silently sat down beside me.“Are you coming up with another story?” he whispered. I smiled briefly and nodded.
“I miss being here.” I confided. He scooted closer to me.
“I miss you being here too.” He murmured. “But now I know why you weren’t so carefree and childish like all the other girls your age. You hold so much responsibility.” My heart shattered. I had left Josiah with all of the work and challenges of life. I had taken away his childhood.
“I’m so sorry, Josiah,” I choked out. “I should’ve never made you experience that.” I had failed. Utterly failed in giving my siblings the lives I dreamed for them.
“But it’s built me stronger, I think,” Josiah mused quietly. “I’ve learned a lot. This has given us both experiences that make us more… better…”
“But you shouldn’t-” I began, and then I realized I sounded like Papa.
“I don’t mind. You’ve given me a lot, more than you know.” He leaned closer to me and I wrapped my arm around his shoulder. In those moments, I knew something.
Something had changed in our lives. And it would never return to the way it used to be.
- The Traitor in the Pages, written in Karah's POV
moving on from The Traitor in the Pages to.. To Find the Royal Treasure!
note: above photo is drawn by me, as all the others, and altered and based off of a photo of Georgie Henley. :) Also, the below synopsis is a really rough draft. I had to turn this girl from the sweetest little princess to the most hateful, spoiled brat that I've ever written. Talk about hard to write!
Arissa. A spoiled, self-righteous, fourteen-year-old princess... who in reality, is simply a brat. Entirely and totally proud and entitled to whatever she wants. And the most annoying thing to her is not a thing. It's a person. That dreadful, horrible, un-respectable Roselynne Willenson. The girl who gallivants across the countryside running, of all horrors. And Arissa avoids Roselynne at all costs...
and yet the cost is her own selfishness that ends up forcing the two into a rather interesting journey. Not on their own accord, however. Roselynne loves adventure. Arissa abhors it with her entire being. She hates it almost as much as she hates the girl she has to travel with. Is there any way out of this?
“Hurry up, you slowpoke princess,” Roselynne called over her shoulder.
“Never,” I said as I lifted my skirts to avoid tripping on my hoops. She placed her hands on her hips and scowled, rolling her eyes. I took more time than necessary as I walked down the path with my head held high. As soon as we were out of eyesight and earshot of the adults, I spoke again.
“I can’t believe I have to associate with the likes of you,” I hissed, not even looking at her.
“I agree.” her response slightly surprised me. “I can’t believe a stuck up brat like you has to ruin a lovely evening by the waterfront.”
“No one can ruin something that’s already ugly,” I shot back, steaming.
“Same goes for you. I don’t think anything more could ruin you.”
“Oh really? Well, beauty is far better than brains. And you have neither.”
We made our way to the waterfront, constantly barraging each other. This was what happened every time we were together, and neither of us ever had the upper hand for long. But I was determined to win this time.
“You are a disgrace to your family, running and gallivanting about like a childish, uncivilized country girl instead of the elegant young lady you are supposed to be,” I taunted. Roselynne’s blue eyes grew cold, and without flinching she replied in an icy tone.
“And you are a disgrace to the kingdom, pompously parading about in those ridiculous over-extravagant gowns and pompadours, arrogantly strutting your looks and finery like the prideful peacocks in your garden.”
I gasped, highly offended. How dare this titleless girl try to insult me in such a way! In a very unladylike manner, I gaped for a moment and then clamped my lips shut tightly.
- To Find the Royal Treasure, written in Arissa's POV
Duty, justice, honor, truth - the virtues of which Nathaniel Anbury is concerned with. The hurting, hardcore, broken young man hides his sorrow by doing whatever he can to restore what is rightly due to each person. And there is nothing due to those two rascally step-brothers. His father's second wife's twin sons are the most pester-y, annoying, immature eleven-year-olds Nathan has ever met in his life. For crying out loud, when he was eleven, Nathan was studying astronomy and preparing for exams into a university! Ryan and Carson, on the other hand, are left partially in Nathan's care while their father is in the Athean navy. Great.
When Nathan receives a letter concerning his former best friend (now deceased), he debilitates for a while before his longing for truth wins out. What has he gotten himself into? Surely it's not more than the twins have put him into.. or is it? A power struggle, a kingdom at risk, truth untold... and he's the only one to do it (until, of course, he finds some certain stowaways... hehe...).
A woman came in - the loyal head of the servants who had served the Anbury family since I was young - and stopped short.
“Land sake,” she exclaimed, her arms full of bundles and letters. “I coulda sworn you were your father sitting there all stately like.” I stood quickly with a small smile playing at my lips and helped her lay them atop all the other papers that littered the surface.
“You have paid me a great compliment,” I told Mrs. Rutherson as I took my seat again.
“You’ve grown up awf’ly fast and quite like your father, I daresay. You’ve matured even faster. My, I remember when you were wee high and helped your mother and me in the kitchen.” She placed another stack of letters on top of one of the boxes.
“I remember that…” I mused, fondly cherishing the memory. Still, it hurt to think about my mother…
“Oh, how you liked cookies,” she reminisced, and then her smile faded. “That would be the only similarity that you and your brothers share, those immature little devils… beg pardon, I mean no offense to you or your father.”
“No offense taken,” I muttered gruffly. “They are not my brothers.” She noticed my bitter tone.
“You know you can’t hold it against them for or who their mother was.” She spoke softly as she let the door close behind her. It then cracked open once more.
“Oh, I nearly forgot.” Mrs. Rutherson patted her pockets and then pulled out another envelope from her apron. “This was stamped ‘important’.” I stood and took the letter from her, curious. Indeed, in bold red letters ‘IMPORTANT’ was stamped on the front. I turned it over and immediately recognized the seal of the castle - any outgoing mail from the palace was given this approval.
- To Find the Royal Treasure, written in Nathan's POV
and now. for the super secret Camp NaNo project. If you are in my family (other than my twinzie, mwahhaa..) please refrain from reading any further. Thanks!
and yes, this is a secret from my family. *grins evil-ly* It's gonna be great.
So in essence, everyone, this story has a working title that I have yet to reveal. I don't want to tell you right now, and I can't really give you any snippets because *cough cough* it's not exactly written yet. *ahem* But hey, you'll get updates during April (and that's probably all you'll ever get, since I'll be furiously writing this story - a chapter a day, approximately)!
But, to sum it up, I have a verse for you.
"So the helpless have hope,"
- Job 5:16a
Ted Abrau, a seven-year-old Filipino boy living on the island of Bohol, is a pretty active little guy. With tons of friends from school, games to play, mischief to make, and soccer to practice, he stays busy. That is, until he becomes an outcast. And it's not like he can help it that his mother has become a Christian - and yet he's persecuted for it all the more. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Entirely alone (except for his brothers and sister), he finds another ostracized little boy to play with. And if it weren't for Ven, what would Ted do? When this question comes into play, Ted has to turn to someone he never wanted to even talk to.
God.
Living is a word of mockery. Living isn't quite what Ledoven would call it. Perhaps.. surviving? Yeah, that's more like it. Daily, he scavenges for trash and each day makes him more of an outcast from the other boys his age - and there are more seven-year-olds in the village than you'd think. Not only is surviving hard enough for such a little guy, tragedy strikes... again.. and again.. and again.
Broken-hearted (quite literally), Ledoven has only two people left in his little world: his mother and his best friend Ted. And sometimes, even those little things are taken away.
So, how'd you like the little introduction to all of my friends? I really love my charries. I have them all in my folder and sketchbook and I randomly hug them. XD XD I also like cherries. And long posts. But perhaps you don't... so...
Tell me one thing you don't like, and one thing you do like.
And, as a bonus, pick your favorite character from above and tell me which one it is!
Also, have you ever drawn any of your characters? If so, I want to see them!
If you want to keep up with these really extremely overly-written hour-long-to-prepare posts, I've added the Google follow and an email update option. :) Newsletter coming soon!
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt
